More Music for primary schools…

“Without the partnership we have with More Music, our children would not experience such high quality musical opportunities every year.”

Community music charity, More Music has built up a wealth of knowledge and developed a diverse offer to engage young people in music over many years . More Music have delivered music making to thousands of children in primary schools across Lancashire and their dedicated music leaders are committed to inclusive and creative music making. More Music can provide opportunities for all children to take part in singing, playing a drum, strumming an instrument or writing a song.

More Music works with schools to provide bespoke programmes that support the delivery of the music curriculum over a term or academic year and have a range of inspiring one-off music workshop days. These include Chinese New Year music workshop with authentic Chinese instruments and a Chinese dragon! Samba drumming, African drumming, singing, music technology, beatboxing, songwriting, band-making and composition. These are all popular with children and teachers and can cover many classes in a day.

Bryony Booth, Arts Leader at Mossgate Primary School, has brought More Music music leaders into her school regularly over the years. She said: “Without the partnership we have with More Music, our children would not experience such high quality musical opportunities every year. One of the most striking factors that contribute to our reason for working with More Music is the way that children’s own ideas & interests are incorporated into the work.”

Every step of music making can include creative input from children:

Drawing the shape of a melody

Building a rhythm section one layer at a time

Improvising over a riff

Making an arrangement

Making a new lyric

Once one idea is accepted more and more ideas flow as children feel more empowered and leadership and turn-taking play an important part in sessions. They gain confidence, knowing when it’s time to make a sound, a suggestion or hold the spotlight and have the group follow. These skills and competencies then transfer to all other subject learning and we often find that young people make leaps in their overall learning through their musicmaking.

As a key strategic partner in the Lancashire Music Hub, More Music helps to shape music provision across the county and has played a big role in large scale events that bring primary schools together, such at the Big Show at Preston Guild Hall in 2017 and the annual Lancaster Schools and District Singing Festival.

More Music can also provide training in school for teachers, helping to give them the confidence to use music in their lessons, and can support schools to achieve Artsmark status as an Artsmark partner.

Bryony explains : “Another significant reason would be the commitment from More Music in supporting not only the learning aims within classes but also the school priorities for developing music practice in the school as a whole. More Music has helped teachers here to develop music teaching and learning but also how music can be used to support learning in other subjects too. The children look forward to these music sessions, have memorable experiences and learn to love music. The performances we put on after working with More Music are eagerly anticipated by children, staff & parents alike!”

If you’d like to find out more about More Music, please email info@moremusic.org.uk or call 01524 831 997. You can also visit their website by clicking here